[mopsi]

Yes. Nobody in Europe can even believe that things like ambulance rides could be anything but free. Those stories sound like depressing dystopia from a post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie.

[pheug]

The swiss right in the center of europe can very well imagine

https://www.srf.ch/news/schweiz/2500-franken-fuer-62-kilomet...

[kasey_junk]

For nearly all US tech. workers an ambulance ride will be free or a nominal deductible.

[tptacek]

Wait, what? No. That is definitely not true. We have very good insurance, and every ambulance ride has cost a fortune.

[kasey_junk]

You have insurance where an ambulance ride doesn’t just apply to your deductible?

I believe it but have never had an insurance plan like that.

[tptacek]

I've had insurance from Arbor (Blue Cross) pre-ACA, from Erin's job at the Latin School (Blue Cross) pre-ACA, from Matasano (United), from BCBS on the ACA marketplace (and now at Fly, but that doesn't matter b/c...) and ambulance trips in all 4 of those, and all of them cost a fortune.

Later

Erin also points out that beyond the deductible cost, your ambulance has to be in-network, or it's not covered at all --- that bit our family too.

I'm a defender of our insurance system, weird as that sounds, but even I won't try to stick up for how we handle ambulances.

[juliusmusseau]

The ambulance rates where I live (Vancouver, BC, Canada) always make me blink:

Insured: $50 flat rate, ground or air.

Uninsured:

$848 flat fee (ground service)

$4,394 per hour (helicopter)

http://www.bcehs.ca/about/billing/fees